Airline Trends: Electronic Devices Allowed During Take-off

With the holidays coming up, airlines are bound to be swamped with travelers flying across the country to visit family and friends. And once the flight takes off not only are travelers saying goodbye to wherever they took off, but also to having access to their mobile phones and tablets – at least that’s how things have been. With new guidelines from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) many airlines will now allow electronic devices – even during take-off and landing as long they are in airplane mode.

United Airlines was the first to announce this new policy and JetBlue and Delta airlines quickly followed suit. American Airlines implemented the plan last Monday on November 4? And Virgin Airlines is still in the process of getting FAA approval.

Some restrictions still apply though; passengers can’t make calls while in flight and smart phones must be in airplane mode. So while you can play games on your phone, you can’t text pictures of the clouds to everyone in your contact list. Travelers still are unable to use their device during take-off or landing if it weighs more than two pounds.

While you still can’t text and tweet mid-flight, this is still a big step forward. Who knows, ten years from now you could be Instagraming pictures from 40,000 feet above the ground!